My Job
I work for the MCLS 24/7 Reference Project, a free, round-the-clock reference service provided by several southern California library systems including Los Angeles Public Library, Santa Monica Public Library, Orange County Public Library, and many more.
The service is staffed by the staff members of the individual libraries involved, and during busy and after-hours is staffed by individual librarians (like myself) who do not work for a particular library.
Unlike some of the other live reference services being offered (Cleveland's Know-It-Now service, for instance), the MCLS 24/7 Reference Service is available to anyone, not just patrons within a particular geographic service area. This is one of the things I especially like about my job -- helping people from all over the world. But more about that later...
Some Definitions
First, I should make clear what I'm talking about when I refer to live reference services. Although sometimes used interchangeably within the field of librarianship, the terms digital, virtual, and electronic reference are not the same as live reference as I'm using it here. By live reference, I am referring to the provision of reference services in real-time, in an online environment. The real-time aspect is what distinguishes live reference from digital, virtual, or electronic reference services, which often refer to e-mail reference or other electronic reference services that are not performed in real-time.
With our definitions clear, then, let's continue!
Differences Between Traditional and Live Reference
Well first and most obvious, there is a big difference in the reference materials used to answer patron questions. For someone like myself who doesn't physically work at a library, I am limited to online sources only. This is quite a significant change from my traditional library days working at the Reference Desk, able to grab a volume of the World Book off the shelf or the New York Public Library Desk Reference whenever I felt the need. Now I have to rely upon finding the information electronically, which can sometimes be a bit of a challenge.
